Hand carried seed and fertilizer spreader



Jan. 31, 19% w. E. PORTER 2,495,906

HAND CARRIED SEED AND FERTILIZER SPREADER Filed Sept. 7, 1948 Fig? Fz'g' INVENTOR. W/lL/AM E. PORTER Mia em ATTO/P/VEVS Patented Jan. 31, 1950 ,JUNITED STATES. PATENT oFF cE HAND CARRIED SEED AND'FERTILIZER SPREADER William E. Porter, Tacoma, Wash. v Application September 7, 1948, Serial No. 48,133

This invention relates to portable or hand- 'carried material spreaders or dispensers, and more particularly to an improved, hand-carried device for spreading or distributing over the ground materials such as powdered or granulated fertilizer, lime, and seed. ff-

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved, portable, hand-operated distributor for applying powdered or granular materials, such as seed or fertilizer and lime, to' the surface of the ground, which distributor may be easily carried by a suitable handle or bail and holds a quantity of material providing the maximum efficiency of operation consistent with ease of manual handling of the device, which is fully adjustable to compensate for variations in grain size of the material, is automatically operated by a swinging or shaking movement of, the device while held in the hand of the user, is effective to provide a uniform distribution of the material even though the material may be damp or lumpy, and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, and easy and convenient to use.

A somewhat more specific object resides in the provision of a hand-carried, manually-operated seed and fertilizer distributor having a length 'su'filcient to effectively cover the entire width of 3 Claims. (01. 275-11) one row of a row crop or the width of the space between two adjacent rows, which includes a movable agitator for feeding fertilizer material through suitable apertures in the bottom thereof, which agitator is automatically operated upon manual swinging or shaking of the device, and

which also includes'a movable, adjustingplate for varying the size of the apertures or openings through which the material is distributed. ..-'Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following de scription and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

- Figure 1 is anend elevation of a fertilizer distributor illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a fertilizer dismaterial, such as suitable sheet metal, bent to 1 provide a body of generally U-shaped cross-section including a partly-cylindrical bottom-wall portion I3 transversely curved on an arc'centered on an axis with which the axis of the agitator shaft I4 is substantially coincident, and curved,

diverging side-walls, the upper portions of which are substantially parallel to each other, and fiat end-walls I5 secured one to each end of the sheet metal body which comprises the bottom-wall portion I3 and the side-wall portions I6.

A handle I'l extends between the upper-edge portions'of the side-walls I6 at the mid-length location of the upper edges of the side-walls and is secured at its opposite ends to the side-walls to provide means by which the device may be easily carried by hand. The upper edges of the side-walls I6 are inclined downwardly away from the location of the handle I! to the upper edges of the end-Walls I 5. The bottom-wall portion I3 of the receptacle is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart openings or apertures I8 through which material may pass from the interior of the receptacle I 0. The distributing openings may be provided as a series of spaced-apart apertures substantially in alignment longitudinally of the bottom wall of the receptacle, as illustrated, or as a continuous slot extending lengthwise of the bottom wall of the receptacle, as may be desired.

Each end-wall I5 is provided with a respective elongated opening I9 located substantially midway of the width of the corresponding end-wall and spaced from the bottom-wall l3. The agitav tor shaft I4 extends through the apertures I9 and is journaled in bearing plates 20 adjustably secured one to the outer side of each end-wall I5 by suitable means, such as screws '2I extending through elongated slots in the bearing plates and threadedinto the corresponding end-walls. By adjusting the bearing plates 20 the agitator shaft I4 may be moved toward or away from the bottom-wall portion I 3 of the receptacle.

An agitator vane 22 is secured along one longitudinally-extending edge thereof to the shaftI4 and projects radially of the shaft toward the bottom-wall I3 of the receptacle. This vane has alength somewhat less than the distance between the two end-walls I5, and a widthslig'htly less than the distance from the agitator shaft I4 to the bottom-wall I3, but may be brought substantially into contact with the inner surface of the bottom wall by suitable adjustment of the bear-{ ing plates Z0. A pair of arms 23 is secured one to each end of the agitator shaft I4. rangement illustrated, each arm 23' is provided near one end thereof with an aperture through which the shaft I4 extends, suitable means being provided to restrain the shaft against rotation relative to the arms, and nuts 24, threaded one upon each end of the shaft I4 secure the arms in operative position on the shaft.

Suitable spacing sleeves 25, preferably provided between the bearing plates 20 and the corresponding arms 23, hold the arms clear .of the bearing plates and free of engagement with any portion of the receptacle Ill. A respective weight In the ar- 

